Utica Ice Festival starts Friday

Utica Mayor Jacqueline Noonan and restaurant owner John Sattmann had big smiles on their faces Thursday afternoon when they learned the temperatures will be below freezing and several inches of snow is being predicted by the National Weather Service.

Noonan said any amount of snow will be welcomed for the 10th annual Utica Ice Festival being held in downtown Utica this weekend. The festival begins at 6 p.m. and an award ceremony starts at 8 p.m., followed by a fireworks show.

“It would be wonderful if it snowed Friday evening,” Noonan said. “Last year we had snow during the fireworks and it was absolutely beautiful and put everybody in a festive mood.”

Disney characters that appear regularly on the Disney Channel will be on hand during shows on Saturday. Noonan said the festival brings many people to the city’s downtown area and restaurants.

Horse-drawn carriage rides will be offered to those who want to take a spin around the city. The cost is $4 for adults. Coffee and hot chocolate will be offered at the comfort station at City Hall.

Vito Strolis, longtime owner of Ruehle’s Towing in Mount Clemens, has provided the festival with a vintage car from the 1940s that is covered with ice.

“It’s quite a site,” said Sattmann, owner of the Cass Bar & Grill. “I don’t think you will find anything like this anywhere, and it’s worth seeing.”

Noonan said the festival is important because it brings visitors to the city’s downtown section and a chance to see what it has to offer. She said another reason people come to downtown Utica is they feel comfortable.

“I always hear people make nice comments about our downtown,” Noonan said. “Our residents love it here because of low taxes and excellent city services, and it’s nice to introduce visitors to our area.”

Before the start of the fireworks, which is sponsored by Genisys Credit Union on Van Dyke, several Utica High School graduates, including two national Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) champions, will receive a special proclamation. Lukas Joja and Amalia Nimu finished second in national competition in the school store category.

“They will get a special award and the current club members at Utica High will get a letter of commendation,” said Noonan, a former teacher at Eisenhower High School.

Sattmann, who was busy all day Thursday putting the finishing touches on festival projects, said the festival does a lot of good for businesses by attracting hundreds of people.

“We’re excited about the goings on this entire weekend,” Sattmann said.

Sattmann said he is looking forward to watching an amateur ice carving contest between students from five colleges. The excitement gets under way at 9 a.m. at Memorial Park on Auburn Road near the Riverwalk.

The downtown section is easy to get to. Those coming from the east on Hall Road can turn right (north) one short block west of Van Dyke Avenue.

Those coming from the west (Rochester Hills-northwest Sterling Heights) can take Hall Road to Mound, go north on Mound and turn right on Auburn Road to downtown Utica.

People coming from the north can take Van Dyke to any block north of Hall Road, turn right and go left (south) on Brownell street.